Change of Fructose to Fat in South Asians

South Asians, who originate from the Indian subcontinent and make up one-fifth of the world's population, are among the highest number who suffer from heart disease and diabetes. The results of many research studies suggest that genes play a role in developing heart disease and diabetes that is made worse by the diet in the United States. Fructose is a sugar widely used in the American diet, and when consumed, it is taken up by the liver and changed into fats through a process called de novo lipogenesis (DNL). The current study will compare this change into fats in the liver between South Asians and Caucasians. The participants will be screened on the initial visit, and on the second visit, the DNL response will be measured in the blood over four hours after drinking one sweetened beverage, containing half glucose, half fructose, similar to a soft drink. We expect that DNL in response to fructose intake is higher in South Asians when compared to Caucasians and may partially explain why South Asians have earlier heart disease and diabetes.